Virginia women’s track and field and cross-country added a familiar name to the roster Tuesday, signing former Glenvar High School and Furman standout Carly Wilkes.
Wilkes is joining UVA as a graduate transfer.
At Furman, Wilkes built a decorated career in both cross-country and track. She was named the Southern Conference cross-country runner of the year after winning the SoCon championships as a Furman junior in 2024. She took second in the 3,000 meters and the 5,000 meters at the 2025 SoCon indoor track championships, then won the 3,000 at the 2025 SoCon outdoor championships.
She was also named the female winner of the B’nai B’rith Athletic and Achievement Award as a Glenvar senior in 2022. Wilkes won 12 state titles in cross country and indoor and outdoor track during her Glenvar career.
The Virginia women’s track and field and cross-country program also announced Tuesday the hiring of Mary Giardina as deputy athletic director and chief of staff.
Giardina had served as West Virginia’s executive senior associate athletics director for student-athlete experience, governance and compliance since January. She worked at Florida Atlantic from 2016-23 and moved up at FAU from senior associate athletics director for compliance to deputy athletics director and chief of staff.
Virginia also announced the hiring of Adam Zackowski as its new men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach on Tuesday.
He had been the head coach and aquatics director at Northeast Conference member Le Moyne since 2022. The Virginia swimming and diving program is moving from the American East Conference to the Northeast Conference.
Zackowski succeeds Scott Thacker, who left Virginia last month to become Army’s director of men’s and women’s swimming and diving. Thacker had been the head coach and aquatics director at Le Moyne before being hired by UVA.
Virginia Tech also made two coaching announcements Tuesday.
The Hokies hired Brian White as deputy athletic director and chief of staff. White had been West Virginia’s executive senior associate athletics director for student-athlete experience, governance and compliance since January. He worked at Florida Atlantic from 2016-23.
The Hokies also announced the hiring of Adam Zackowski as its new men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach. He had been the head coach and aquatics director at Northeast Conference member Le Moyne since 2022. Zackowski succeeds Scott Thacker, who left Virginia last month to become Army’s director of men’s and women’s swimming and diving.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Fall Camp Brings Major Tension To Key Starting Jobs
Fall camp is where Virginia Techs 2027 depth chart starts to take shape, and the biggest pressure points are all over the field. Running back, tight end and the front seven are all unsettled, which means the next few weeks will matter for players trying to turn offseason momentum into actual starting jobs.
Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffrey Overton Jr. headline the backfield race, while Benji Gosnell and Luke Reynolds are part of a tight end picture that has been reshaped by portal arrivals. On defense, Curtis Jones Jr. adds another layer of intrigue as the Hokies sort out how he fits, and a handful of linemen and edge players are all trying to force their way into the mix before the season opener. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Vick And Corey Moore Earn Rare All Time Hokies Honor
ESPNs latest jersey-number exercise ended up giving Virginia Tech a nice little spotlight, with the network naming the best college football player ever to wear each number from 0-99. Two Hokies landed on the list, a reminder of how much star power the program has produced across different eras and positions.
Michael Vick took the No. 7 honor and Corey Moore was picked for No. 56, putting both in rare company in a ranking built to spark debate. Bruce Smith also surfaced in the discussion as the runner-up for No. 78, but the top spot there went to Bryant McKinnie, leaving Virginia Tech with two clear winners and one notable near miss. [Read more 🡒]